Mississippi Farm Bureau FederationAgricultural News and Information

Farm Bureau testifies at House Ag Committee Hearing

TROY, ALABAMA – Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation President David
Waide told members of the House Agriculture Committee that current crop
insurance products available in the southeast do not provide farmers with
adequate risk protection.

Waide was one of nine presenters to tell the legislators from Washington,
D.C., about issues that must be addressed by the agricultural community
as it prepares to write a very important piece of legislation - the 2012
Farm Bill.

“Crop insurance should be available to provide producers of all
crops with options for various insurance products that accurately reflect
individual risk considerations,” Waide said. “A producer’s
only option when insurance coverage products are not available is to enroll
in the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP).” This
program can only provide limited financial assistance to producers when
a natural disaster occurs.

“No insurance products are available for sweet potatoes, watermelons,
tomatoes, sweet corn, rye grass, and many others, all of which significantly
contribute to the wonderful diversity of Mississippi agriculture,”
said Waide.

In the United States, farmers provide the safest, most affordable, and
most abundant food supply in the world. Farming, like any other business,
is filled with risks. However, unlike other businesses, once the crop
has been planted it is fully exposed to Mother Nature’s wrath with
the only defense being effective risk management.

“Many of our farmers are going bankrupt, but they don’t want
a handout or a bailout,” Waide emphasized. “They do need a
little help in the form of risk management products that can keep their
operations viable through a bad crop cycle.”

Another topic brought up by the committee was the issue of farming in
today’s credit crisis. Waide said that tightening credit markets
will have a lasting impact on farming in Mississippi. “Our farmers
can’t put a crop in the ground with the bank charging him 20 percent
interest on his crop loan.”

The Farm Bill is the primary agricultural and food policy tool of the
Federal government of the United States. It protects the consumer’s
food supply and ensures food safety. “I’m very happy the Committee
is taking this proactive look at the provisions of the Farm Bill,”
Waide said.

These hearings continue Monday in Lubbock, Texas, and Tuesday in Sioux
Falls, South Dakota.

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The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation is the state's largest general farm
organization with more than 204,000 member-families statewide. There
are Farm Bureaus in all 82 counties in Mississippi
where agriculture comprises a fundamental part of Mississippi 's economy.
Headquartered in Jackson , the federation is an independent, non-profit agricultural
organization and is not associated with any arm of the government.
For more information about Farm Bureau, visit our website at www.msfb.com.